The DND is also scouting for a medium lift aircraft from other European countries at a lower cost, Galvez said.

Once President Aquino approves the acquisition, the spy plane would strengthen the country’s maritime domain awareness.

For a long time, the Armed Forces has been relying mainly on a small number of Islander planes for maritime and territorial patrol.

The spy plane is the CASA/IPTN CN-235. The CN-235 surveillance aircraft can double as a military transport plane. Its largest user is Turkey with 61 aircraft.

The surveillance plane has a crew of two, a pilot and co-pilot, and can carry 44 passengers and a payload of 13,120 pounds with a cruising speed of 454 kilometers per hour and a range of 2,730 nautical miles.